The subject matter disclosed herein relates to light-curable ceramic slurries, and more specifically, to light-curable ceramic slurries suitable for additive manufacturing (3D printing) techniques.
Ceramic slurries can be used to manufacture ceramic parts such as refractory components for high temperature applications, fixturing/support structures and thermal insulation. Typical ceramic slurries generally include an organic binder, such as a light-curable organic resin, ceramic particles, and additives (e.g., dispersants, photoinitiators, and stabilizers, etc.). These formulations are common, for example, in the dental industry. Once a light-curable ceramic slurry has been formed and deposited, a suitable light source may supply the requisite activation energy to cure (i.e., polymerize) the organic binder, such that the ceramic particles are bound to one another by the polymerized binder, yielding what is referred to as a green (i.e., unfired) ceramic part of the desired shape. Once cured, the green ceramic part may be partially fired, that is, heated to a temperature less than the sintering temperature of the ceramic particles, to release organics (e.g., debind) from the green ceramic part, yielding what is referred to as a brown ceramic part. Subsequently, the brown ceramic part is completely fired (“sintered”) such that the ceramic particles fuse into the final ceramic article.